The present disclosure relates generally to turbine engines and, more specifically, to systems and methods of fuel leak detection in turbine engine enclosures.
Gas turbine engines are used as a power source within a variety of applications. To protect the engine from the environment, and to shield the surrounding environment from the gas turbine engine, at least some known gas turbine engines are housed within an engine assembly enclosure that includes an inlet area, an exhaust area, such as an ventilation duct, and an engine area that extends between the inlet area and the exhaust area. For example in a power generation facility where the gas turbine engine is used as a power source for an electrical generator, the engine may be housed inside an enclosure that facilitates reducing noise and heat generated during engine operation.
Current regulatory codes may require that an engine control system provide an alarm to an operator and/or automatically stop the engine's operation when fuel leakage from fuel system components within the engine assembly enclosure exceeds a predetermined threshold. At least some known engine assembly enclosures include a hazardous gas detector located in a flow of ventilation duct air to determine the presence of fuel leaks. Moreover, at least some known engine assembly enclosures include a scavenging system that draws air from the enclosure towards a hazardous gas detector. However, accurate fuel leak detection may be difficult if leaked fuel is diluted in the flow of air channeled towards the hazardous gas detectors.